> > [joining 2d arrays]
> I can't envisage this... Perhaps you could reveal an example.
Well, for a trivial example, here's two 2d arrays:
foo, bar, baz,
qux, quux, waldo
and
rab, foo, baz,
xuuq, qux, zug
Joining the first col of array 1 with the second col of
array 2 would pick both rows from both arrays.
Seems simple to me. Perhaps you meant the concrete
method and/or syntax to achieve the join, or to reference
the two arrays, or to reference the result table. But thinking
of concrete details like that is way premature.
For one thing, if Simon and Sam are anyone to go by,
this thread has zero chance of getting over the basic
"this is worth considering" consensus hurdle, so concrete
details are pointless.
> Particularly I can't envisage it for multicolumn
Joining the first and last cols of array 1 with the second
and last cols of array 2 would pick the first row from both
arrays.
Again, this seems simple to me.
If you were considering my intersecting grids example,
you need to view the multiple columns from each table
as one column.
> outer joins.
Let's just consider a left outer join.
That just means picking all rows from the first table
referenced in what syntax is used (the left table)
and either matching rows from the right table, or
pretending there is a matching blank row from the
right table.
So, an outer left join between array 1 and 2 above,
joined on the last col of array 1 and the last col of
array 2 would pick both rows of array 1, and the
first row of array 2, to go with the first row of array
1, and an unitialized row from array 2 to go with
the second row of array 1.
It's cumbersome describing this in english, but I
would expect it to be really brain dead simple
intuitive as a computer syntax and semantics.
